I Am The Storm
by wiccac
Summary: She was on a mission for revenge - he was in the middle of a war. Two unlikely strangers with the same goal find strength and comfort within each other in a cruel and cold world. Daryl/OC. Up to Season 8. Rated M.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The rain pelted my hot skin like tiny needles, my chest constricting with every leap I took, trees passing by in short bursts as my heart pounded at what seemed like a hundred beats per second. Anxiety began to slither up my spine as soon as I picked up the sounds of wheels hitting dirt, voices of taunt echoing in the woods as gunfire bursted into the night air. I wasn't going as nearly as fast as I'd like, but the doe-brown eyes that tried to keep up with my quick steps was forcing me to slow down. I wanted to scream, I wanted to somehow gain all the strength I could muster and carry the weight that was dragging me down on my shoulders because _we had to get away_. My brain was rationalizing what I needed to do next, where I needed to go, how I needed to fight in case we could not escape - a troubling thought that burned in the back of my mind.

"Em... Em!" The little voice wheezed behind me, bringing me from my thoughts as my steps faltered. "You're going to fast..." She cracked into a soft sob, her hands shaking in fright and exhaustion. I stopped immediately and turned, looking down to rosy cheeks and tear drops that camouflaged against the rain. Behind my shoulder, headlights and footsteps were coming in close as I moved us farther away from their trail, heading into the long grass for coverage. Knelling into the dirt, I grabbed the water canister from my side and unlocked the lid, putting the opening to the tiny parched lips in front of me, allowing her to take the last drops. "Are they going away?"

"I'm not sure." I whispered, taking in a deep breath of fresh air as the coolness of the rain soaked into my heated skin. I carefully raised my head above the long grass, watching closely as the headlights shined brightly out into the forest. The mist in the air was thick, the number of men with guns unknown due to the lack of visibility - but they had lost us, the darkness of the night had become our savior. I contemplated my next move, watching as the truck slowed to a stop, new voices joining the others that searched the perimeters, their barrels pointed and their fingers ghosting the triggers. The mist cleared enough to reveal that the truck was located near the exit of the forest we needed to go, any other way we would run into other outposts who would be on the hunt for us. With the new visibility I was able to count eight men, my mind buzzing with my next move.

I knew it was now or never - I had the upper hand with stealth.

"Can we go?" The little voice asked, tugging on my ripped shirt. I knelt back to her eye level, gripping the Glock 42 that rested comfortably on my thigh holster as I removed the safety.

"Do you remember how to use this?" I whispered as her eyes widened, as she began shaking her head from side to side. " _Do you remember?_ " I emphasized, taking her hand with my own and pressing it around the grip of the gun as hot tears rolled down her face. She let out a soft whimper, her chin dipping as she nodded her head. "I won't be gone for long. Stay low in the grass and if anything, a human or a biter, gets near you - you shoot." Her eyes adverted mine, her gaze locking on the mud beneath us. I gripped her small chin gently in between my pointer finger and thumb, forcing her eyes to me. "Anything that is not me - you don't hesitate. Do you understand?"

She nodded, the look she gave me causing my chest to constrict with a sadness that I had felt before. _She was too young_ , too innocent for this world. My heart ached for the missed childhood years she would never experience, her life now on a constant battle to survive in a world that only wanted to eat her whole. I leaned forward to kiss her forehead, pushing her shoulders down to hide her deeper in the grass. Slowly, I stood in a crouch and lifted my recurve bow that had been resting between my chest and shoulder blades, bringing an arrow fourth as I made my way out of our hiding place, staying within the mist as a cover. Quietly, I stalked the truck as men circled back and spoke into their radios that were clutched on their shoulder.

"We are searching the area now, Sir. We are confident they are here." The low voice said, my eyes narrowing at the thin man and his balding head as he scratched at the scruff that adorned his neck. I felt my fingers grip my bow tightly, the target on his back growing bigger and bigger as I found a suitable place behind an old pine tree, hidden by the cover of darkness. Two men came rounding the corner of the truck, setting their AK-47's onto the hood as they looked at the map that sprawled over the shiny paint of the vehicle. "They couldn't have gotten far, we had them by their toes only minutes ago. I'm sure she and the kid are hiding in the forest."

"The forest?" The man on his side said, glancing sideways to the darkness that covered me. "She's got her bow and arrows."

"And a Glock." The other one mentioned.

"She doesn't have shit on us," The thin man said, glaring at the other two. "Lucille has already taken care of the ones who were in charge of the armory." He gave a devilish smirk, my stomach twisting in painful knots as I gripped my bow tighter, my fingers itching to notch my arrow. "She knows the safest way out is up that hill. And we are blockin' her exit. She'll be here soon. If she isn't already..."

 _Snap..._

My body turned instantly, my eyes glaring at the solider who held his gun to his chest - eyes wide with surprise that he had stumbled upon me. He began to lift the AK, his mouth opening to yell a warning, but I was faster. I notched my arrow, drawing back my bowstring and let go. The arrow whistled in the night, lodging deeply into his throat as red began pooling down his white neck, his mouth opening but no words producing as blood poured from his lips. His body fell with a _thud_ and I quickly pressed myself into the tree, awaiting for the others to come towards the sound. But then... Nothing. I turned to peak from behind the tree to see the two men grab their guns and head in the opposite direction, the thin man staying behind as he continued to look at the map. Turning my body, still slightly hidden by the tree, the thin man was alone - his mind distracted elsewhere as I notched another arrow onto my bow and brought back the bowstring.

I closed my eyes, taking in the deepest breath I could - _In and out. In and out._

I imagined the arrow penetrating his skull before I had even let go of the string, taking in how good it will feel to see his body fall to the floor - but before I could do anything, a sound had forced me to drop my bow completely, my head turning as my skin paled at the sound. The sounds of a little voice screaming, snarls ripping through the air as gun shots rang out like boulders crashing into each other. I grabbed my bow and stood up, ignoring the yelling behind me as I dashed out from behind the tree and back towards the long grass.

"Em! Em! Help me!"

"There she is! There she is! Cut her off!" The thin man yelled behind me, a man flagging at my side and ready to tackle. I drew the arrow I had saved for the thin man, my running throwing my aim off guard as the arrow penetrated his shoulder rather than his chest. This still seemed to slow him, my eyes focused on the decaying biters that clawed at the doe eyed girl who dropped the gun and ran out of the tall grass. I notched another arrow, sending it flying right into the skull of the male biter. Small arms had reached me, tugging onto my middle as I pushed her behind me to use my body as a shield, swinging my bow just as a female biter came within arms lengths, crushing her skull open as she fell to the floor.

More came out of the deeper parts of the forest and I placed my bow over my head, resting it between my shoulder and chest as I reached down in my boot for my mini bowie knife. I ran towards the decaying biters, their eyes sunken in, their arms nearly gone of skin as their fingers reached out to grab me. I brought my arm up to the first, placing it on its chest as I rammed my knife into it's skull, turning in just enough time to slit my bowie up the chin of the one coming at my right. The bodies dropped as I continued my assault, kicking one back and away as its teeth chattered in anticipation for flesh. It fell to the floor, my boot smashing down as its skull crushed into pieces, the gunk of its brains spilling into the grass.

A gun cocked behind me and I had my bow back out, my arrow notched as I turned behind seeing the thin man with his parade of soldiers at his side. His smirk was painted with his yellow teeth, his eyes coated with a malicious intent - but they were not alone.

"Put it down, darlin'." He said, his hand clutching on the small figure he held in front of him. Her eyes were round, coated with tears as she shook under the hands of a man who didn't deserve to touch her. "I said - _Put. It. Down_." He growled as he brought his pistol out from his pocket, shoving the barrel against the temple of the small fragile child in front of him, my arm immediately bringing the bowstring forward as I dropped it and my arrow to the floor. "The bowie, too." He said as I threw the knife down next to my other weapons. "Good girl." His head tilted as a signal for the men to come towards me, my body instinctively stepping back as they gripped my arms and moved me forward. We walked as a group to the truck, one of the men tying my hands around my back with a zip tie and walked me to the front, the headlights blinding me as he pushed me to my knees.

"You don't have to tie her up." I called out, watching as the men tied the small wrists together, clasping it tightly as she let out an uncomfortable groan.

"Oh, you've proven that to be very false." The thin man laughed as they brought my brown eyed girl down on her knees next to me.

"Are you okay?" I asked as she nodded, tears streaking down her dirt-stained face. I looked around and over my shoulder at the men with their guns, their eyes trained directly on me as I narrowed my eyes at the thin man, watching as he took a swig of tequila just before handing it in front of me.

"Want some?" He laughed as I looked away. "Ahh, you're no fun." He leaned up against the truck, watching me with amusement just before taking another swig. "If you couldn't tell, you're little field trip in the woods on the way to Grandma's house is over." He taunted. "Which is a shame, because I really... _Really_... Liked you. And now? You're going to be just another picture on the wall."

"Screw you!" I yelled, his smile contorting to a frown as he moved closer, his eyes blazing with a fury as he quickly raised his hand, it swinging with full force across my cheek. My eyes closed tightly as a scream began ringing next to me. Before I even had time to comprehend what was happening, grubby fingers gripped my chin and forced me to look.

"I would love to do nothing more than cut that fire-spittin' tongue right out of that pretty little mouth of yours." He snarled, gripping my cheeks tighter.

"Let go of her!" The voice next to me screamed in fright. I tried to look at her, tried to calm her - let her know I was okay.

"Look at me!" He screamed as my eyes blazed back to him. "You are truly in for it tonight. I hope you realize that." He tilted my head back, bringing himself forward as his lips grazed my ear, "I hope he kills you slowly." His whisper had trigged a reaction, my head leaning back and moving forward to connect with his, his body reeling back as the men began moving to help. "Stop, stop! I'm fine!" he growled, standing on his feet as he moved towards me like a snake. But without question, he stopped - looking over my head as more headlights appeared. He took in a deep breath and stepped away, the cut on his forehead beginning to drip with blood.

The rain had let up, the sunrise peaking ever so slightly in the corner of the forest as I heard an engine behind me cut off, a door opening and slamming behind. I looked to my left, watching as my doe-eyed girl cried tears of fear, her sobs resonating deep within my chest as I heard something drop to the floor. My body jumped at the sound, listening as a prolonged scraping dragged across the floor, it cutting in the night air life a knife. I didn't have to open my eyes to know what would be in front of me - I already knew he was there.

His deep chuckle caused a mixture of anger and fear to run through my veins, his brown eyes boring into mine as his smirk was nearly penetrating. He watched me intently, gripping his bat tighter to make sure I knew it was there - to make sure I knew who was in charge. I looked away, over at the smaller figure at my side whose eyes were widened by the weapon the man who proudly showed off, the barbed wires gleaming in the headlights in front of us. I began to maneuver my wrists, attempting to free myself for one last escape - I was afraid I would try anything at this point. I knew what this outcome was - trying to escape was punishable by death, but staying was just as risky - and my clock was ticking. He knelt down in front of me, his bat moving to rest across his chest as he continued to smile, which would be deceiving to others who were not aware of the atrocities and vileness that lurked behind this man. Slowly he reached his palms up together, his loud claps echoing through the forest as his men began chuckling.

"I have to hand it to you... You really know how to keep things interesting." He laughed, reaching forward to cup my swollen cheek. I turned quickly, disgusted by his cold touch as he inspected the wound, turning back to the thin man with a glare. "I'm sorry he did this to you, sweetheart. You know how Simon can get." He shrugged as I looked back to him with narrowed eyes. "Though, between you and me - It looks like you returned the favor by tenfold." He laughed, looking back to Simon and the cut that welded on his forehead from my blunt head hit. "Oh, sweetheart - I really did think I lost you... _My little storm_... Why would you want to leave me? I mean... I know your living conditions have been less than favorable but how many times do I have to tell you that if you had just consented... You would have been living like goddamn royalty."

"Take her back." I ignored his speech, grinding the words out between my clenched teeth.

"Excuse me?" He asked, his smile still evident.

"Take her back. She had nothing to do with this." My voice was strong, my wrists still working on a way to escape the holds it had me locked in. He was silent for a moment - still playing with that smirk on his lips - as he then let out a throaty laugh, the men behind him joining in as I glowered, wanting nothing more than to see several of my arrows penetrate his chest.

"Sweetheart," His leather jacket began crunching as he leaned forward, my heart skipping beats as my palms became sweaty - his nose nearly an inch of mine as I took in full gaze of the almost-black eyes staring at me, "I don't think you are in such a position to be making those sort of demands." He pulled away, his eyes roaming down my body as he reached forward to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I instinctively reeled back, my chin dipping as I gulped hard, looking back to him with a glare. "You know the rules, _my little storm_. And still - you broke them." He moved away completely, standing from his crouching stance as he gently swung his bat to the opposite side, lifting it in the air as he looked to the crowd who stood among us.

"Who would I be if I let the child go?" He proclaimed, "I'd be a liar - that is who I would be. She is guilty by association! Should I let her go back and sleep on a damn cot, let her eat the food that my men and women work so hard to get every day? No... I said it once and I will say it again - no one gets away with breaking the rules."

"She didn't do anything you prick!" The scream left my lips before I had time to even process them in my brain. Without hesitation, without a second thought - the dirt kicked up from his boots and I was soon face to face with his weapon wrapped in barbed wire. The air was filled with a stoic silence besides the sobs that rang next to me, my eyes connecting with his as we said nothing for what felt like hours. His jaw was taut with an anger that itched deep in his soul, his eyes blazing with the fury of my words. He was in complete control - and I was submissive to it.

"I do not appreciate you interrupting me. Not a damn bit." He snarled, "And if you know what is good for you, you will keep those pretty lips shut until I make a decision on what your punishment will be." I shut my mouth, the fear that coursed through my veins never slowing, not even after the bat was away from my face. I looked to the dusty ground, my wrists still working a way at the zip tie as I tried to concentrate, tried to wrap my brain on what I would do if I were to get myself out of my restraints. He continued his rant, speaking to the crowd about those who defied him, about punishments - I tuned him out, seeing an opening between two of the men, a straight line back into the forest.

I could try - I could grab the little one next to me and try. What else did we have?

I realized, though, trying to remove the zip tie from my wrists - our chances getting out of this was damn near impossible. I could already see the bullets penetrating our backs before we even had the chance to make it off the road. I had come to terms that it could not be both of us - it could only be one. And I knew it would be me to succumb to his bat. Because no matter how cold he was, no matter how much evil burrowed deeply within his soul - he was not deranged enough to kill a child. And with the strikes already rallied against me, I knew I was standing on my last leg. But, the bigger part of me didn't even need to process my demise because as long as my doe-eyed girl was okay, nothing else truly mattered. My body calmed, even as he turned to me - the bat not far as his eyes gleamed with a wonderment of pure corruption. Despite my realization and acceptance, my heart still pounded deep within my chest, my eyes watering as I choked them back, refusing to let him see that he was chipping away my hard exterior.

"It's okay to cry, sweetheart. You can lighten up." His venomous smile sparked an infuriated reaction as I spit down at his shoes, my glare meeting his faltered smile.

" _Fuck. You._ " I enunciated.

He sucked on his bottom lip, hiding back the rage that I knew he wanted to cave into - his grip tightening around the bat as he released a dark laugh, his head shaking. "You've got some big _cajones._ " His words were clipped, his eyes narrowing on me as he stepped closer. "You have committed a crime - one that I just _can't_ let go unnoticed without punishment. I mean, shit, you took out several of my men and I have to say, that really hurt. They were good men, good fighters, good providers. And above it all - this is the thanks that I get for helping you out?" He stepped away, kicking dust behind him as I turned, closing my eyes to avoid irritation. "And you have the nerve... You had the audacity to say fuck you? To me? Well..." He ended back up in front of the two of us, my chin dipping down as I awaited for the force of the barbed wire to dig into my skull. "I can't let this go unnoticed, Emory. _My little storm_." He went silent, my fingernails digging into my palms as I awaited for the inevitable moment of pure darkness. "But... I just can't seem to let you go just yet."

My eyes opened in confusion, my heart skipping a beat as I realized his plan. The monster lifted his weapon next to me, my doe eyed girl looking up to him with fear coursing through her as her face drained of all color. "NO!" I screamed as the bat came down with a loud _thwack_ and the only thing I could remember was the red...

There was nothing but red.

* * *

AN: Firstly, welcome new readers! I am extremely excited to start my first TWD story. This storyline has been playing in my head for several months now and I finally decided to sit down and write a prologue. This story takes place during Alexandria, right in-between season 6 and 7 and will carry on into season 8. **So if you want to avoid spoilers** , I suggest you get up to date! As of right now I do not have a beta, however, I am definitely open for one! I do not have a timeframe of when I will be updating, so someone with a flexible schedule would be preferable! This story is an OCxDaryl story and I am really hoping to dive into this character and I hope you love her as much as I do.

Please leave your comments below so I know how I am doing! Again, thank you for reading! Until next time...


	2. The Night We Met

_I am not the only traveler  
_ _Who has not repaid his debt  
_ _I've been searching for a trail to follow_ _again  
_ _Take me back to the night we met_

* * *

"Ahh!" I grunted as I violently shoved my drop point knife into the skull of the biter who had me pinned to the ground, its eyes rolling into the back of its head as I let out a quick exhale as its weight dropped on top of me. Maneuvering myself from underneath its hold, I had only milliseconds to recover until two more biters had noticed the commotion and changed their direction towards me. I grabbed ahold of my bow, lifting it from around my body as I swung it at an angle, the blow from the metal causing the first walker to fall back and onto the second. I used their stumbling to my advantage, pushing them back onto the ground as one fell on top of the other. I knelt down next to them, lifting my knife up in the air before bringing it down with such a force that the blade penetrated to the ground below, splitting their skulls open as their blood stained the grass.

I groaned, falling down onto my bottom as I laid next to the decaying bodies, my own worn out and aching. The lack of sleep and hunger was seeping into my brain, causing me to be heedless and sloppy. I still hadn't quite forgiven myself for leaving my metal arrows back in the Mill, but when you are trapped between a wall and a herd of biters coming towards you, you can become forgetful while making your escape. Apart of me wanted to fall asleep right here, I found myself rationalizing with the idea of becoming unconscious in an open area. Knowing that this was impossible and deadly, I stood from my spot so I couldn't linger on the thought any longer. I grabbed my weapons and headed deeper into the woods, finding an area to start a small fire. My mind was racing with different thoughts, check listing items I needed to make sure I completed.

Make arrows.

Eat the chicken I killed.

Find a safe place to sleep.

Scavenge for more food.

Find water.

Kill Negan.

I sat at the side of the camp fire, allowing it to dull to nothing but burning embers. The sticks I had gathered earlier that day sat by my feet as I picked them up one at a time, twisting the tip of it over the last of the burning wood. I reached into my boot, fishing out the pocket knife as I began to whittle the end to a sharp point, blowing periodically to clear the sawdust. The sun was high, the clearing in the trees were spread wide enough for the rays to cause a sunburn to cover over the tan I was already sporting. I was safe in the woods, but the burning fire made me vulnerable and I knew it could potentially attract unwanted company. I reached my arm over my head, wiping my sweaty forehead as I continued to distract my mind from the heat. I took as few breaks in the shade as I could, drinking from my water canister before continuing to sharpen my homemade arrows until there was enough to make me feel satisfied.

I reached into my bag, grabbing hold of the claw that stuck halfway out, gripping it carefully and revealing the dead chicken before lying it in front of me. I began plucking the white feathers, setting them aside until the animal was completely bare. I found myself more often than not looking at the dead animal a beat longer than intended, the low rumble in my belly was undeniable - two days without sustainable food made the mind grow weak with temptation. But I knew where my priorities were and I quickly turned to my bag, pulling out the black thread I had harvested. With the same pocket knife I whittled the wood with, I made three slits around the opposite end of the point of the arrow. I began cutting the end of the quill of the feathers, slicing up and separating it into two. Almost surgically, I began placing the feathers into the slits, spinning thread around and around before cutting it with my teeth and tying it into a knot.

I did this repeatedly, again and again.

I stood from my spot, grabbing an old can of green beans and headed across the way, setting it up on a low hanging branch. On my way back, I grabbed my black recurve bow that sat against a tree and picked up one of my newly made arrows. Notching it on the arrow rest, I drew the bowstring back and concentrated on the can of green beans across the clearing.

My eyes closed - _Deep breathes_ , I reminded myself. _In and out. In and out_.

With eyes wide opened, I zeroed in on the middle of the can before letting go of the bow string, listening as the arrow left, whistling across the open and knocking the can right onto the ground. It made a loud _thwack_ that echoed through the woods, the smirk on my face was undeniable - I was a damn good shooter. If there was anything I learned from this new world, it was that. I brought my bow down and over my head, letting it rest between my chest and shoulder blades as I jogged into the clearing to retrieve the can.

"Damnit." I growled, grabbing ahold of the can that held a half broken wooden arrow, lodged deep inside the core. The shot was clean, but the force was too much. These arrows would only last one hit at a time - an unnerving thought if I were ever to get trapped with no resources. Disgruntled and angry at myself, I made it a point to find more sustainable arrows as soon as possible.

Reaching back to the fire, the lack of sleep caused my mind to start day-dreaming. I touched the point of one of the arrows, the thought of running it through Negan's skull was the first vision that popped into my head. His name, even just thinking about it, caused my skin to light with a rage that I never thought I was possible of feeling. He was the very reason I was still in these parts of the area, why I couldn't find myself to leave. I sat back down in my spot, running my finger up and down the arrow as I could hear his voice in the back of my mind. I could hear him chuckling - could see his grisly smile - could smell the alcohol on his breath. The sun was unbearable now, and I knew I needed a distraction from my rage as I gripped the chicken from next to me and began cleaning the poultry and cooking the meat. Once satisfied with the color of the meat, I began eating immediately - my back against the large elk tree as I ravenously tore the meat from the bones, my stomach growling for more as I took in every savory bite knowing full well this would be one of my last meals for a few days. My feast was short-lived, the animal not nearly as big as I would have liked but I knew any was better than none. Upon finishing, I took a quick swig of water from my canister before pouring a little onto my hands, washing off the remnants of my food. I grabbed ahold of my green bag, packing up my tools as I knew I needed to move from this area as soon as possible.

I grabbed my arrow holder, placing my homemade arrows safely in the sheath as I took my hunters knives, placing them carefully into my bag next to my water canister and my cans of beans I scavenged that would last me until my next proper meal. Something gold had glinted under the sun, my eyes moving to the bottom of my bag as I reached down to feel the coldness of the object between my fingers.

My stomach twisted in uncomfortable knots, my skin shivering despite the heat as I looked down to the necklace that I kept safely with me at all times. I hadn't looked at it in a few days, the sight of it a constant reminder of my past failures. The item caused a violent memory to resurface, the sounds of screaming and the sight of red on my hands causing a soft sob to resonate deep in my chest. My thumb rubbed over the circle gold pendant, my nail tracing the engraved "J" in the middle as tears formed in my eyes. The memory ripped open the wounds that were embedded deep within my mind and I knew that they would never heal - this would never get easier.

In the midst of the hold the small piece of jewelry had on me, a shout echoed through the woods, cutting the silence as birds flew from the trees. My body on high alert - I grabbed my arrow holder and hoisted it to rest on my back, my bow ready as the shouting continued. I began stomping out the last of the burning embers of my camp fire and grabbed the shoulder strap of my pack as I relied on the cover of the foliage to keep me hidden.

"You! Drop them now!" The words echoed a mile or so away, my eyes searching out for any threat near me but I knew the commotion was coming from the East.

With my weapon ready, I moved through the trees as silent as possible, moving my weight at the tips of my toes to avoid the crunching of leaves as I relied heavily on my stealth to keep me safe. As the voices became louder, I found a stack of logs just behind a long small hill of rocks. I knew I was near the train tracks, having just come off of them when fighting off the biters and I quickly stashed my bag in the safety of a bush. Moving myself low to the ground, I maneuvered myself behind the small hill of rocks, my body lifting only slightly to peak over to see an old abandoned car, just beyond that two figures standing on the train tracks. Their backs were turned towards me, but I could make out enough that one was a man and one was a woman. Not far from them, lying on the tracks in a pool of blood, was a woman - her injury hidden from my eyesight as I felt my stomach twist, my mind telling me that I needed to leave - _now._

I looked back to the man and woman - while the survivalist part of me screamed to turn around and not look back - the emotional part of me felt for them. The dead woman was obviously apart of their group - and while we now lived in a world where death was all around us, it still stung all the same. Men from the other sides of the tracks came to them, stripping them of the weapons they had as I watched the man with long dirty hair and angel wings stitched on his vest finally speak up.

"I should've killed you."

His voice was low and gruff, his stance strong as his fists were clenched to his side. I looked down to the ground, taking in a deep breath as I knew this was not my fight - I would not put myself on the line for someone I did not know. My logic outweighed my emotions and I began to turn around as I stayed low and made my escape.

"Yeah, you probably should've."

I hadn't even made it a foot away - the voice that caught my ear forcing my bones to still, my jaw to clench and my blood to boil. Maybe I had imagined it... Maybe I was hearing things...

I turned again, looking back to the group as I finally focused my vision onto the men who held their gun barrels straight at the two on the tracks. His face wasn't hard to miss - my breathing stammering as I felt the rage pulse through me like a rocket - like a beam in the sky that was to explode at any moment. The burns on the left side of his face made it easy to pick him out - made him easy to be a target. And he _was_ my target.

"So here we are. Kind of begs the question, right? Who brought this on who? I mean, I get that you'll just have to take my word for this, but..." The smirk on his face caused my skin to crawl, my hand tightening around my bow as I slowly reached for an arrow, notching it quietly as my eyes never left the blonde-haired man. "She wasn't even the one I was aimin' for. Like I said... Kicks like a bitch. It's nothing personal."

Dwight had been a big part of the turmoil I had experience. Under the thumb of Negan, he would do just about anything to get back in his good graces again after running away. Which included attempting to break me and mold me into one of Negan's wives. Several nights he threw me in that cell, day after day and leaving me nothing but stale bread. He watched, with pleasure, as I deteriorated in front of him. No - he wasn't at the top of my list, but he was close. And in a series of fortunate events, he landed right at my feet.

"Look, this isn't how we like to start new business arrangements, but, well, you pricks kind of set the tone, didn't you?" Dwight chuckled.

" _Dickhead_." I muttered to myself as I took in deep breaths, resisting the urge to charge and start shooting - my eyes watching and calculating when the right moment to move was.

"What do you want?" The woman next to the man with the angel wings said. Dwight cut his eyes to her, showing a cocky grin.

"I'm sorry, darlin', I didn't get your name. I'm D, or Dwight. You can call me either..." He paused, "So? What's your name?"

" _Rosita_. What. Do. You. Want?"

"Well, Rosita... It's not what I want. It's what you and Daryl are going to do. You're going to let us into your little complex, it looks like it's just beautiful in there. And then you're going to let us take whatever and whoever we want... Or we blow Eugene's brains out." He cocked his head to each of them,"...And then yours. And then his. I hope it doesn't come to that, really. Nobody else has to die. We just try and start with one. You know... Maximum impact to get our point across. So what's it going to be? You tell me."

"You wanna kill someone, you start with our companion hiding over there behind the oil barrels. He's a first-class a-hole and he deserves it so much more than us three." The man on his knees said, their eyes all moving to the left at a couple of oil barrels strewn sporadically across the grass.

"Go check it out!" Dwight screamed at a man who began hesitantly moving. The air was stiffly silent as we all watched him get closer to the barrels, his gun shaking in nerves as he got to the edge of them. Suddenly, screaming began - the man on his knees had attacked Dwight, biting down on his crotch as gun shots rung out as I clutched onto my bow, watching as men were taken out by a hidden figure behind the oil barrels. The woman, Rosita, lifted her gun and began shooting as she ran off the tracks for safety. Men went down as I noticed a figure in the woods coming out, shooting anything that moved. The man in the vest grabbed ahold of one of Dwight's men who was coming up to him, grabbing his forehead, exposing his neck and slitting it with his knife. The man dropped to the floor as he grabbed his gun, beginning to shoot as he moved back towards the safety of the abandoned car only ten feet ahead of me, oblivious to me behind him. I watched him closely, watched as he lifted his gun over the car and began to shoot, the angel wings on his vest moving with every flinch of his muscle.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I brought my bow string back, moving higher as I tried to get a good aim on Dwight while I was still in the safety behind the rocks. He was down on the tracks, his hand gun out as biters came out of the woods. Rosita began shooting at him as he took out the biters, screaming at his men to fall back. I growled as I couldn't get a good shot of him. He stood, ducking from the strays of bullets as he strategically hugged the hill of the tracks, hiding himself from any gunshots as his men began running into the woods.

My body twitched to follow him, to run after him and his men - but my eye had caught at the last second that one of Dwight's men had snuck off to the side, rounding around the abandoned car where the man in the angel vest hid, not noticing the danger that was coming near him. His gun was losing wasted bullets as he attempted to take out Dwight, oblivious to the man who was nearly to him with a bowie knife in his hands. I raised my bow, watching as a crack of a twig caused the man in the vest to turn and see the intruder - he didn't have enough time to react before the man was going for him - but he wasn't quick enough, I had released my arrow from my bow string and watched as it whistled through the air and lodged deeply into his temple, his body lurching forward and falling to the ground.

I didn't have time to move, the man in the angel vest turning his body so his gun was pointed directly at me, his grip tight as his finger ghosted the trigger. He didn't care if I had just saved his life - I was nothing but a stranger to him and I knew I didn't have enough time to notch another arrow to defend myself. I remained in my spot, staying still as I hoped he could find some mercy for me. Bullets still echoed around us, our eyes connecting as I took in the view of him. His hair was just as long and as dirty in the front, sticking to the grime on his face as his blue eyes glinted from the sunlight. I felt an odd feeling inside of me - something constricting yet comforting... It was if there was nothing else around us... I watched intently as his breathing slowed, his gun falling as our eyes never disconnected... The feeling was foreign - was intrusive... And I wondered if he had felt it too...

"Daryl!" A voice said, breaking our concentration as he turned to the noise. I took this chance to bolt, running to the bush as I grabbed my bag.

"Hey!" He shouted behind me, but I did not stop. I ran as fast as I could, away from him, away from my target - as far as my legs could take me. When my legs felt as if they were going to give out, I stopped and rested against a tree, feeling tears weld in my eyes as the lack of sleep had finally caught up to me. _Why did I do that? Why did I put myself in harms way?_ My thirst for revenge was strong, but enough to put myself in danger like that? I blamed it on the lack of sleep, my body wearing down as I made the decision that I needed to rest and I needed to do it soon.

With my weapons at my side, I began walking - the sun finally setting as a darkness overtook the forest. I found myself on the opening of the other side of the woods, walking down the long road until I came across an old van, cupping my hands against the window as I tapped on the glass to stir anything that might be lurking. When nothing moved, I headed to the back, opening up the doors to reveal everything missing from the inside, it stripped of its resources. It wasn't the safest of places, but I had no other choice.

I crawled inside, closing the doors behind me as I kept my bow safely next to me, moving my bag near the seats and laid myself on the hard carpet. Rain began pelting on the roof of the van, creating a soft lullaby as my eyes grew impossibly heavy. My mind drifted for a few moments, replaying the day in my head. Anger still brewed at the very fact that Dwight got away - but I knew I would see him again. I knew I would get my revenge on all the ones who wronged me - all the ones who caused me the pain that I felt every single day. Unable to channel the anger any longer, my thoughts shifted to the man in the angel vest - _Daryl_. My interaction with him felt dream-like, as if it didn't happen at all. I had wondered why he didn't pull the trigger on me - I guess it was for the same reason that I ran instead of drawing my bow.

And somehow - even in that short minute of being near him, I memorized his eyes exactly how they looked at me - the exact deep shades of blue. I felt my heart racing, my body reacting in an unknown and foreign way as I tried to compartmentalize it. He was only a stranger - but I couldn't help but feel the sense of relief that I was able to save him. My mind was buzzing as I grabbed my bag, intending on using it as a pillow. As I moved it towards me, I heard something fall out of it, my hand reaching down to feel the small chain as I gripped it in my fingertips.

The necklace had fallen and I quickly brought it to my eyesight as I began sketching the "J" with my finger tip. I didn't want to cry... I just wanted to remember. I stayed clear of the memories of when I last saw her and thought of her smile. She was so young, _too innocent for this world_. I brought the circle pendant to my lips and kissed it gently, holding tightly as I began falling asleep to the memory of her laughter.

"Goodnight, Josie." I whispered to her, falling into a deep slumber.


End file.
